Made in the Mountains
A mountain arts tour is better when you can see the hands behind the work. From November 6 to 8, studios, galleries and heritage spaces across northeast Georgia and nearby North Carolina invite visitors to make their own route.
The Northeast Georgia Arts Tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Its 2026 brochure and map cover six counties, but the point is to choose a manageable stretch, not spend the weekend racing a checklist.
In Habersham County, clay has two quite different addresses. At Hickory Flat Pottery in Batesville, Cody Trautner makes functional pottery and experiments with salt-fired pieces. Farther along Highway 197, Mark of the Potter operates in a former grist mill overlooking the Soque River. Potters work there, and the shop also carries pieces from other makers. The stops offer a chance to consider how a mug takes shape, then how a working pottery shop makes room for many hands.
That conversation carries into Lumpkin County. The Dahlonega Arts Alliance Gallery at Old Storehouse Art brings together work by 25 artists in different media and offers “Drop in and Paint” activities. In White County, the Sautee Nacoochee Center and Folk Pottery Museum connect current makers with the region’s pottery history inside a community center that plans demonstrations during the tours within the museum.
Over in Rabun County, the Foxfire Village Museum preserves Southern Appalachian skills and stories, while Kimberley Adams’s Transformation Glass studio in Tiger works in kiln-formed glass and bead jewelry. One stop looks closely at inherited practices; the other shows an artist continuing to develop her craft.
The route also includes Towns County, where the tour lists Lake Chatuge Lodge for visitors making a longer weekend of it. Across the state line in Clay County, North Carolina, Highlander Gallery displays work by more than 25 local and regional artists in a former creamery.
These places keep the region’s creative work visible well beyond one weekend. For November 6 to 8, the tour offers a good reason to meet the people doing it. Check individual venue details before driving; some keep seasonal hours.
Find more local events in the Georgia Business Journal festivals directory: https://gbj.com/festivals
